Restaurant Manager: Goya Restaurant, Pimlico
All applications must be made through the online application form, we will not accept or respond to CVs or cover letters or messages https://forms.gle/Bm32bTaFL23VGrYHA
Job Description:
- Location: 34 Lupus Street, Pimlico, London SW1V 3EB
- Position: Full-time, permanent
- Hours: 40hrs per week, working across a rota that includes lunches, evenings and weekends
- Reporting to: The owners/directors
About Goya
Goya is a long-established, family-run Spanish tapas bar and restaurant in the heart of Pimlico.
Founded in 1993, we serve freshly prepared Spanish tapas, paellas and traditional main courses in a relaxed and welcoming environment. The restaurant includes a busy ground-floor tapas bar, an outside terrace and a large downstairs dining area used for regular service, parties and group bookings.
We have many longstanding customers and take pride in providing authentic food, friendly service and a lively atmosphere without unnecessary formality.
The Role
We are looking for an experienced, hands-on Restaurant Manager to take responsibility for the smooth day-to-day operation of the restaurant.
This is not primarily an office-based or administrative position. The manager must be visible on the floor, able to lead busy services, maintain standards and deal calmly and confidently with customers, staff and operational problems.
The successful candidate will be trusted to run the restaurant properly when the owners are not present. They will need to understand the detail of what is happening across the restaurant, while also leading the team and maintaining an overview of service, staffing, bookings, stock, cash and customer experience.
Main responsibilities
Service and Customer Experience
- Lead lunch and evening services and take responsibility for the overall customer experience.
- Organise the floor plan, staff sections, reservations, walk-ins and larger parties.
- Ensure customers are welcomed promptly and receive attentive, friendly and professional service.
- Monitor food and drink service throughout each sitting and intervene before problems escalate.
- Handle complaints and difficult situations calmly, fairly and commercially.
- Develop relationships with regular customers and help maintain Goya’s welcoming, personal atmosphere.
- Encourage appropriate recommendations and additional sales without making the service feel forced or overly formal.
Team Leadership
- Lead, motivate and supervise the front-of-house team.
- Set clear expectations for attendance, punctuality, appearance, conduct and service standards.
- Prepare and manage effective staff rotas.
- Allocate duties and sections appropriately for each service.
- Train and develop waiters, bar staff, supervisors and new starters.
- Give clear feedback and address poor performance or conduct promptly and fairly.
- Help recruit, interview and onboard new employees when required.
- Create a working environment in which staff cooperate, communicate and take responsibility.
Co-ordination of restaurant operations
- Maintain close communication between the restaurant floor, bar and kitchen.
- Ensure the kitchen is kept informed about bookings, parties, dietary requirements, allergens and service pressures.
- Manage delays, unavailable dishes and changes during service without allowing communication to break down.
- Oversee opening and closing procedures.
- Ensure the restaurant, bar, terrace, customer toilets and staff areas are properly prepared, presented and maintained.
- Identify maintenance, equipment or operational problems and ensure they are followed through rather than merely reported.
- Support the organisation and delivery of parties, corporate bookings and special events.
Commercial and administrative control
- Understand the restaurant’s sales, staffing levels, average spend, wastage and other important operating figures.
- Carry out or supervise till checks, cashing up and end-of-day procedures.
- Investigate discrepancies properly and maintain accurate records.
- Monitor drinks and other stock, assist with ordering and reduce avoidable wastage.
- Ensure discounts, complimentary items, staff food and voided transactions are properly authorised and recorded.
- Provide the owners with clear reports on service, staffing, complaints, incidents and other matters requiring attention.
- Suggest sensible improvements to service, organisation and profitability while respecting the character of the restaurant.
Compliance and Standards
- Ensure food-safety, allergen, licensing, health-and-safety and fire-safety procedures are followed.
- Ensure staff understand the restaurant’s policies and do not rely upon informal arrangements or assumptions.
- Maintain appropriate records relating to cleaning, temperatures, incidents and staff management.
- Take responsibility for resolving or escalating compliance concerns promptly.
Essential experience and qualities
Applicants must have:
- Substantial management or supervisory experience in a full-service, table-service restaurant.
- Experience personally leading busy restaurant services as the senior person on duty.
- Experience managing and developing front-of-house staff.
- A strong understanding of restaurant service, reservations, table planning and customer care.
- The confidence to deal with complaints, staff-performance issues and unexpected operational problems.
- Good organisational, administrative and numerical ability.
- A calm and decisive approach under pressure.
- High personal standards and close attention to detail.
- The ability to communicate effectively with both front-of-house and kitchen teams.
- A willingness to work hands-on rather than managing only from an office.
- Availability to work a rota that includes evenings and weekends.
- The right to work in the United Kingdom.
Experience based solely or mainly in quick-service or fast-food operations will not, by itself, provide the type of table-service restaurant experience required for this position.
Desirable Experience
The following would be advantageous but is not essential:
- Experience in an independent, family-run, premium-casual or fine-dining restaurant.
- Knowledge of Spanish food, tapas, wine and dining culture.
- Experience working in a Spanish or Mediterranean restaurant.
- Spoken Spanish.
- Experience managing parties, functions or larger group bookings.
- Experience with restaurant stock control, cellar management, labour costs and sales reporting.
- Experience helping to improve the performance or organisation of an established restaurant.
What we are looking for:
We are particularly interested in candidates who:
- Notice problems and take responsibility for seeing them through.
- Can maintain standards without creating unnecessary confrontation.
- Are respected by staff but are not afraid to make difficult decisions.
- Understand that good management involves preparation before service, leadership during service and follow-through afterwards.
- Can preserve the warmth and character of an established family restaurant while improving consistency and professionalism.
- Would leave the owners confident that standards would be maintained during a busy service in their absence.
Application Process
Applicants should complete our online application form, providing details of their relevant restaurant experience and answering several practical questions about restaurant management.
What Happens Next?
1. Applications will be reviewed against a consistent set of criteria.
2. A shortlist of candidates will be invited to a video call interview.
3. Successful candidates may then be invited to complete further assessments, attend video or in-person interview(s) and/or participate in a paid trial period before a final decision is made.
4. Applications will be reviewed as they are received and interviews may commence before the closing date. Early applications are therefore encouraged.
Pay: £37,500.00-£42,500.00 per year
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
